1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat exchangers, and more particularly to cross-flow liquid-liquid heat exchangers employing resonant oscillation of two fluids.
2. Description of Related Art
Methods and devices have heretofore been disclosed for transporting heat via sinusoidal oscillations of fluids between a hot and cold region. A U.S. Patent to Gifford (U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,123) discloses a heat exchanger which sinusoidally transports fluids, primarily gases, to heat or cool solid objects.
A further U.S. Patent issued to the inventor of the present invention (U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,993) discloses a device which transports or transfers large quantites of heat without an accompanying net transfer of mass. The heat transfer in that patent is effected by oscillating a working fluid within a set of ducts, the extent of fluid movement being less than the duct length. This patent provides a device which advantageously may be employed as a substitute for a heat pipe, while providing much higher heat transport rates than conventional heat pipes.
These devices are examples of advances in the general technology of heat transfer. However, heretofore lacking in the prior art is an apparatus or device which provides greatly improved heat transfer between a hot fluid and a cold fluid in a heat exchanger, for example a cross-flow heat exchanger, by employing an oscillation of the fluids.
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange device which provides a heat transfer coefficient which is one or more orders of magnitude greater than that found in conventional heat exchangers.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange device which combines a novel heat transfer surface configuration with a means for oscillating a portion of the device inducing oscillation in the hot and cold fluids between which heat is transferred.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange device having improved heat transfer capabilities, which can be made in smaller sizes and less expensively that conventional heat exchangers having the same heat transfer capability.